Drain Tile Codes

Hi there,

I am in the process of excavating around my foundation to add XPS exterior foundation wall.

As long as I am digging I figured I'd add a drain tile. We don't currently get liquid water in our basement, but after a rain you definitely can notice a spike in humidity (and is confirmed by a meter).

Under a relativity thin layer of clay, the earth is sand and gravel.

I am planning on running the tile to an EXTERIOR drywell in the back yard (don't want a sump/pump, haven't needed one in ~100 years and don't want the added electricity use/potential for additional failures and repairs) just for a bit of pressure relief.

The XPS doesn't require a permit but I just got off the phone with the building inspector and they WOULD require a permit for the drain.

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Drain Tile Codes

So I called the inspectors office back... He thought I wanted to run the drain tile into a pit in the house.

When I explained further what I wanted to do he said he had never heard of anyone running a drain tile to a drywell in the backyard and I'd have to talk to the plumbing inspector (out of office till monday).

In fact he said he didn't think there was anything about it in the codes.

I can't imagine they'd have any issue with this. I don't want to hook up to the storm or sanitary system. I still want the rain/ground water to percolate/infiltrate back to the aquifer (and not sent to the Gulf of Mexico)... I just want it to do so a little farther from my house.

We're blessed with a municipality that is pretty lax with their permitting requirements. I guess I'll see on Monday.

Drain Tile Codes

wewantutopia -

I think the use of the term "drain tile" could have confused the bureaucrats since they may have assumed you are draining a general surface area into pit instead of moving water from a sump pit that could have been in your basement and could be legally drained from a floor drain into your sewer system. The use of a sump pit is a common practice, but it could require electricity IF you get water into the pit.

Drain Tile Codes

If you use the term "subsurface closed gravity drainage", you may avoid the confusion. This is same thing as running an extension from a down spout to a pit.

You are not running "drain tile with a phoney sock" but just trying to move natural ground water from rainfall to a remote pit and the so called "french drain" will not be perforated and collect more ground water. The filter cloth around a flexible is really a cost "rip off" (cheap to inventory and sell), will plug quickly and gets advertised as a cure all that eventually will be ineffective.